Check the airline policy regarding kiteboard equipment. If they allow it then call your surfboard a kiteboard.

I travel with a 5'8 Celeratus and 4'6 Arcane that I put in an Ocean Earth 6' surf bag. I never get charged extra.
However, I am always under weight and as previous posters say 1. arrive early 2. Kiss ass

I bring a hockey bag as my second bag and put my kite gear in there plus clothes in a compression bag.

I bring at least two kites on board as carry on in a compression bag in a kitebag plus a second bag with my computer/camera gear.

irwe wrote:Check the airline policy regarding kiteboard equipment. If they allow it then call your surfboard a kiteboard.

I travel with a 5'8 Celeratus and 4'6 Arcane that I put in an Ocean Earth 6' surf bag. I never get charged extra.
However, I am always under weight and as previous posters say 1. arrive early 2. Kiss ass

I bring a hockey bag as my second bag and put my kite gear in there plus clothes in a compression bag.

I bring at least two kites on board as carry on in a compression bag in a kitebag plus a second bag with my computer/camera gear.

Ive been lucky with airlines other than delta,they are sticky,and there always cheaper on international flights,kissing arse with delta dont work lol,TONY

acctx wrote:... but Im reasonably sure that if you are on two different airlines you collect your bags and then check them in at the next airline. I dont think they have the capability to run bags through between airlines unless the ticket was booked that way (very rare but american does it with international airlines like iberia, cathay etc).

Yeah, that's that is the situation I am in.

There are some really great packing and travel tips in this thread. Thanks a ton!

I'll look around and see if I can find a good price on a Nugget and read up on some reviews. If I can get surf board style performance in something that fits in a standard gold bag (I have the original NSI Deceiver) that may be the way to go.

I also still have my older Slingshot Fuse which is a mutant wave board. More fun in the waves than a TT, but still not really a surf board feel. But small enough for a golf bag.

Also you might want to check out some freight companies. I did this on my way home from our last surf trip. Make sure you plan this out ahead of time because their hours dont always fit your itinerary.

We used Pilot Freight and i would not suggest using this company as we had some absolutely horrible customer service and overall their business sucked worse than anything i have ever encountered.

However, there are some other freight companies that are out there. You would need an address ahead of time and ship the boards about a week before you hop on the plane so they arrive the same time.

The only reason we did this was because the airline we were flying were going to charge 100 PER BOARD and we had 5 boards in a bag. Our plane ticket was only $400 but they wanted to charge me over $500 one way for my surfboards? Do they charge a golfer for each club in their bag? A fat person for using more fuel? No, f*** them...

We shipped the boards for about $150 and they showed up about 8 days after we got home from the trip. While it did save us some cash, we ended up missing a few swells after we got home because our boards were still in the "mail".

I think most of it has been said, but do not try to use logic when dealing with baggage regulations. You need to read the rules carefully because they are not logical. If you try to use common sense it may bite you. Contact both airlines before you fly so at least you know the worst case scenario. Make sure to print out the rules for both airlines and have them with you. Often people get overcharged and it is hard to argue when you are trying to get home.
So here is some of the illogical policy. For most airlines you can show up with 50lbs and 115 linear inch bag of golf clubs and get charged nothing. You show up with a short surfboard about 6 lbs + bag, and about 85 linear inches you pay 150.00. But once you pay the 150.00 dollars your bag can be up to 70 lbs. I guess that would make sense if you had and ancient solid wood surfboard on your next trip. But even though you have up to 70 lbs some policies allow them to charge you per board. Does not matter that your quiver of three epoxy super light surfboards weigh 15 lbs combined. Also most airlines will not charge you for snowboards and skis. If you go first on a snowkite trip and throw in your snowboard most airlines do not charge you. You then go with the same bag and stick your twin tip in, most policies state they can charge you the 100-150. Also most airlines throw kiteboards and surfboards in the same bucket. So your 5'10 kiteboard is going to cost as much as your 100 liter sailboard.
Although it sounds like people are getting away with sticking a short directional into a rollerbag, I would not count on it. I have not read any policy that says they cannot charge you as a kite/surfboard eventhough you are well within the size weight limits for a ski or golf bag. Pretty much all say something like a golf bag consists of x clubs, balls, and pair of shoes. So although many times you can slide by with a deciever, they pretty much make it clear that they can charge you for boards inside those bags. So it sounds like a good option most of the time, but not guaranteed and not something you could likely argue.
So be polite, dress like a golfer, know the rules, call ahead, carry the policy, hope for the best, and be prepared for the worst case based on the rules.